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August 19, 2009 | 02:10 PM
Three Villagers have a right to be proud of their community for so many reasons, not the least of which is its incredible history. Brookhaven Town began here; the Revolutionary War came to a successful conclusion largely because local patriots created a spy ring so secret it was nearly 200 years before we knew who the spies were; ships built here sailed to the four corners of the globe, playing a significant role in opening the Far East to trade; and commerce flourished, providing a stable economic base that supported a standard of living well above the norm through the 19th and 20th centuries.
A big part of that economic engine in the late 19th and early 20th centuries was the Rubber Factory, high on a hill in Setauket. Although the factory building is gone it is not forgotten, partly because a remnant of that time in our history remains in the form of several Rubber Factory Houses, as they have come to be known. Three of those homes, albeit in pretty sad shape, are located on Setauket Fire Department land on Old Town Road just south of Route 25A. Frankly, without quick and sure help, those three historic buildings were in immediate danger of demise, whether by rot, termites, storm or fire. However local residents who again and again rise to the occasion to preserve our local history have worked for several years already to protect and prolong the Rubber Houses for future generations.
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The houses cannot be left in their current location but must be moved or demolished to make way for much needed expansion of the Setauket firehouse.
Next week the Brookhaven Board of Zoning Appeals will hear case number 29, an application under the name of the Three Village Historical Society. The Society is making the application on behalf of the Three Village Community Trust, which is spearheading the effort to stabilize, move and reuse the three historic structures on its land behind the Bruce House, itself a historic building located only a few hundred feet north of the Rubber Houses on Main Street in Setauket.
We wholeheartedly support the variance application that will permit the buildings to be moved, restored and adaptively reused on a site quite close to their original location on August Street. The site is located, appropriately, within the Setauket Historic District and within walking distance of the Village Green and many historic sites. Preservation of the houses will enhance the remarkable historic ambiance of this amazing place.
We urge all those who celebrate this area's heritage to voice or write your support for the application. The hearing is at 3 pm on Wednesday, Aug. 26, at Town Hall in Farmingville.
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